Dominionists run for highest office in US

[Sky Dancer]

Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin. Dominionists are gaining mainstream power.

Anyone read the newest article on Bachmann in the New Yorker? I did last night.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/08/15/110815fa_fact_lizza

 

[Sky Dancer]

Dominionism:

The word itself holds the answer. It is about dominating. Taking over. For them it is a direct mandate from God in the Old Testament Book of Genesis Chapter 1:26-28. Defined in its simplest form, Christian Dominionism is a political approach to Christian faith and practice based on a literalistic interpretation of Chapter 1 verse 28 of the Book of Genesis. Wherein, they perceive themselves as the “Chosen” and are commanded to “subdue” the earth and “have dominion” over all living creatures.

The goal of Christian Dominionism is to abolish Separation of Church and State and to establish the United States as a distinctively Christian Nation based upon Old Testament Mosaic Law. Dominionism is an umbrella term that harbors many divergent groups claiming a foundation in Christianity. You must be “born again”…accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour…and profess your personal relationship with Christ.” All Christians are not Dominionist, but all Dominionists claim Christianity.



The Infiltration of Religious Dominionism Into American Politics

 

[Sky Dancer]

The movement is called the New Apostolic Reformation. Believers fashion themselves modern-day prophets and apostles. They have taken Pentecostalism, with its emphasis on ecstatic worship and the supernatural, and given it an adrenaline shot.

The movement’s top prophets and apostles believe they have a direct line to God. Through them, they say, He communicates specific instructions and warnings. When mankind fails to heed the prophecies, the results can be catastrophic: earthquakes in Japan, terrorist attacks in New York, and economic collapse. On the other hand, they believe their God-given decrees have ended mad cow disease in Germany and produced rain in drought-stricken Texas.


Rick Perry's Army of God | MadMikesAmerica

 

[Sky Dancer]

Jerry Falwell, Tim LaHaye, Howard Ahmanson, James Dobson, D. James Kennedy — almost every fundamentalist follows Rousas John Rushdoony, 1916-2001. Newsweek once referred to Rushdoony’s Chalcedon Foundation as the think tank of the religious right.

But what you won’t hear in Sunday school is that Rushdoony is a racist, sexist, Jew-hating bigot who denies the holocaust. Don’t take it from me: The British Centre for Science Education refers to him as “a man every bit as potentially murderous as Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot or anyone else you may want to name amongst the annals of evil.”



R. J. Rushdoony, Reconstructionist and Racist Bigot | Unreasonable Faith

 

[ABikerSailor]

So basically, they're the Christian equivalent of Islam's Taliban.

 

[Sky Dancer]

So basically, they're the Christian equivalent of Islam's Taliban.

Yes, they are, and they represent a far more dangerous threat to America than Shariah Law.

The "Christian Taliban" , as you call them, is more likely to elect a President in the US than any Muslim ever gets to run for higher office.

 

[Sky Dancer]

The Founding Fathers were cognizant that religious fanatics may attempt to subvert the secular nature of the Constitution in favor of a theocracy, so they crafted the 1st Amendment to maintain the separation of church and state. However, the religious right is not content to follow the tenets of the Constitution, and through movements like the moral majority have made every attempt to turn America into a theocracy by methods both covert and overt.

It is extraordinarily disturbing that religious organizations would attempt to influence the government or its leaders by preaching from the pulpit and encouraging church members to apply pressure to their representatives, but the past few years have seen an increase in direct involvement by fanatical representatives in Congress and it doesn’t bode well for America as a democracy. The religious right has lobbied for Christian-based, socially conservative policies in the realm of the family and especially to promote pro-life groups and anti-gay initiatives, but the new Christian Reconstructionists and Dominionists are taking their demagoguery to a new level inside the halls of government.



The Threat From Within: Dominionists Taking Over America

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

Anyone read the newest article on Bachmann in the New Yorker? I did last night.

Yes, I’ve been aware of this abomination for quite some time. For years it was on the extreme fringe – since the advent of the TPM and current crop of GOP presidential candidates, however, it poses a greater threat.

Obviously the threat to the First Amendment is of greatest concern, but also telling and troubling is the belligerent arrogance these individuals possess, that they would attempt to codify their un-Constitutional beliefs compelling all to adhere to their religious dogma, as if they alone know ‘what’s best’ for America.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Peter Wagner is the leader of the "New Apostolic Reformation" (NAR) movement, a branch of Christianity that pushes "Seven Mountains" dominionist theology that envisions a world takeover to enable Jesus Christ's return to earth. NAR's "apostles" and "prophets" played a large roll in Texas Gov. Rick Perry's "The Response" prayer meeting and may possibly be behind Perry's bid for the GOP presidential nomination.

Wagner's Global Harvest Ministries boldly promotes 7 Mountains Christian dominionism
Journalist Bruce Wilson has been following the activities of NAR for quite some time and released a video of Wagner today (see video below) in which Wagner called Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses cults. In fact, Wagner has written that the Book of Mormon, Catholic statues and other religious objects are symbols of darkness and must be burned.

In the video, Wagner claims that the NAR movement is growing faster than the human race and Islam. Dismissing Catholicism as a "block" of Christianity, he claims that the NAR movement is the largest block of Christianity in the world today. His "prophet" Cindy Jacobs, in introducing him at a God.TV presentation, boasted that Wagner is one of the most powerful people on the planet.

The NAR movement and its Christian dominionists believe that education/science, government/military, religion, the family, arts and entertainment, business/finance and the media must be controlled by them. They advocate a theocracy where there is no separation of church and state.
Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses marginalized as cults by Christian dominionist NAR leader | God Discussion

 

[Sky Dancer]

Dominionism is a doctrine which demands the total remaking of society to conform with the laws of the Old Testament of the Bible. It states that the second coming of Jesus Christ will never occur until "God's kingdom" is established on earth and reigns for either a thousand years or an unknown time period. They contend that all of the laws of the Old Testament, unless specifically revoked later in the Bible, are still valid and they want to literally replace the U.S. Constitution and legal system with the Ten Commandments and the Mosaic laws of the Bible.

If you don't follow the Christian faith, or if you ever leave it (we're talking millions of people in the U.S. alone) you'd be punished by death. Same thing for anyone who commits theft, who blasphemes (says "goddamn it"), or who commits heresy (says god does not exist). Frederick Clarkson, who wrote the book Eternal Hostilities: The Struggle Between Theocracy and Democracy, points out that "anyone responsible for abortion" (meaning women and abortion providers) would be given the death penalty as well."


OpEdNews - Article: God is a Weapon

 

[Sky Dancer]

There is an ambitious spiritual warfare campaign that’s being planned by New Apostolic Reformation leaders. The campaign, “DC40,″ which aims to “lay siege” on Washington D.C. and bring about “the advancement of the Kingdom in the earth.” The New Apostolic Reformation, a neo-Pentecostal movement, is extremely anti-Pagan in its orientation. They call Washington D.C. the “District of Christ” because Columbia is an aspect of the Queen of Heaven, essentially the feminine divine in all its many forms, from Isis to Mary. They are obsessed with this (in their minds) demonic figure, and have devoted talks, written several books, and performed coordinated prayer campaigns against her.

The event starts on October 3rd, places special emphasis on Samhain/Día de los Muertos, and continues through most of November. It’s very clear that they expect real-world political dividends from this action, including the end of “compromise” and a return to Christian dominance in the United States.

The Wild Hunt » Pagan Reactions to the DC40 Prayer War



So far, Dominionist targets include:

Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, homosexuals, pagans, and any other mainstream Christian that aren't "born again".

 

[Sky Dancer]

The cult Gov. Rick Perry has involved himself with is the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). The NAR has dozens of offshoots and an assortment of names such as Dominionists, Latter Rain, Kansas City Prophets, Third Wave, Joel’s Army, Manifest(ed) Sons of God, Five-Fold Ministry, to name a few. Another offshoot, and the one I’ll deal with here, is the International House of Prayer (IHOP), a splinter group of the Kansas City Prophets. Confusing? You betcha!

I’m not alone in my view that much of the NAR and IHOP theology and doctrines are unbiblical, most conservative Bible scholars, apologists and pastors agree. According to Brannon Howse:





Marsha West -- Texas governor’s upcoming prayer event includes cult members

 

[catzmeow]

ZOMG! The SKY IS FALLING!

This is a non-mainstream movement with a tiny handful of adherents in congress. Be scared when they have the 2/3 majority required to amend the constitution. I'm about as scared of these assholes as I am the >1% of Americans who are Muslim.

 

[daveman]

Ten words that prove this is a non-issue:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..."

 

[Ravi]

Don't be silly. The religious right has been with us all along. They've just renamed themselves the Tea Party.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Three characteristics bridge both the hard and the soft kind of dominionism:

Dominionists celebrate Christian nationalism, in that they believe that the United States once was, and should once again be, a Christian nation. In this way, they deny the Enlightenment roots of American democracy.

Dominionists promote religious supremacy, insofar as they generally do not respect the equality of other religions, or even other versions of Christianity.

Dominionists endorse theocratic visions, they believe that the Ten Commandments, or "biblical law," should be the foundation of American law, and that the U.S. Constitution should be seen as a vehicle for implementing Biblical principles.

The supposed suppression of Christian expression by an alleged secular humanist conspiracy—stems largely from the works of Reconstructionist R.J. Rushdoony and those of the Reconstructionist- influenced writer, Francis Schaefer. Tim LaHaye, Jerry Falwell, and Pat Robertson echo these claims.
http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v19n3/clarkson_dominionism.html

 

[Sky Dancer]

“Rule the world for God.

“Give the impression that you are there to work for the party, not push an ideology.

“Hide your strength.

“Don’t flaunt your Christianity.

“Christians need to take leadership positions. Party officers control political parties and so it is very important that mature Christians have a majority of leadership positions whenever possible, God willing.”



See Joan Bokaer’s article in “The Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party,” a public information project from TheocracyWatch.org http://www.4religious-right.info/taking_over.htm

 

[Sky Dancer]

I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good… Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a biblical duty, we are called on by God to conquer this country. We don’t want equal time. We don’t want pluralism.” -
Randall Terry, founder of Operation Rescue

“So let us be blunt about it: We must use the doctrine of religious liberty to gain independence for Christian schools until we train up a generation of people who know that there is no religious neutrality, no neutral law, no neutral education, and no neutral civil government. Then they will be get busy in constructing a Bible-based social, political and religious order which finally denies the religious liberty of the enemies of God.”
–Gary North

"Christians have an obligation, a mandate, a commission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for Jesus Christ -- to have dominion in civil structures, just as in every other aspect of life and godliness. But it is dominion we are after. Not just a voice. It is dominion we are after. Not just influence. It is dominion we are after. Not just equal time. It is dominion we are after. World conquest. That's what Christ has commissioned us to accomplish. We must win the world with the power of the Gospel. And we must never settle for anything less... Thus, Christian politics has as its primary intent the conquest of the land -- of men, families, institutions, bureaucracies, courts, and governments for the Kingdom of Christ." From The Changing of the Guard: Biblical Principles for Political Action by George Grant, published in 1987 by Dominion Press.

Betty Fischer, director of Kids in Ministry International and founder and director of Kids on Fire summer camp in North Dakota, noted in the Jesus Camp documentary, democracy is a problem because it "treats everyone as equals." Therein lies the fundamental reason why Christian Nationalists are striving to turn America into a theocracy (literally, "rule by God"): the belief that (certain) Christians should receive preferential treatment in America and control the judicial system.
American Theocracy: Who Wants to Turn America into a Theocracy?

 

[Sky Dancer]

Theocratic Organizations

Alliance for Marriage
America's Foundation - Rick Santorum's Political Action Committee
American Center for Law and Justice
American Family Association
American Vision - founded by Gary Demar, leading theocratic ideologue
Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
Center for Arizona Policy
Chalcedon Foundation - led by R. J. Rushdoony
Christian Action Network
Christian Business Men's Committee
Christian Coalition of America
Christian Exodus
ChristianAmerica.Com
Citizens for Excellence in Education - arm of National Association of Christian Educators
CitizenLink.Com - an arm of Focus on the Family
Coalition on Revival - Applying Biblical Principles to Every Sphere of Life and Thought
Concerned Women for America
Constitutional Law for Enlightened Citizens
Coral Ridge Ministries - led by D. James Kennedy
Council for National Policy - secret government council policy formed by Tim LaHaye
Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
Creation Resource Foundation
Eagle Forum
Family Policy Network
Family Research Council
Free Congress Foundation
Home School Foundation - funded by the HSLDA
Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)
Institute for Christian Economics - led by Gary North
National Association of Christian Educators (NACE)
Joshua Generation - aimed at 11 to 19 year olds; affiliated with Patrick Henry College
National Center for Home Education - affiliated with HSLDF
National Clergy Council
National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI)- funded by HSLDF
Operation Rescue
Restore America
Rutherford Institute
Traditional Values Coalition
Vision America - founded by Rick Scarborough, Baptist
Vision Forum Ministries
Wall Builders - led by David Barton
Worldview Weekend

Theocratic Educational Institutions

Patrick Henry College - for homeschooled children, partner of HSLDF
Regent University - "Regent" refers to Christian rulers who will govern the nation

Theocratic Publications and Media

A Christian Manifesto - address by Francis A. Schaeffer; summary of theocratic views
A Manifesto for the Christian Church - endorsed by the major theocratic players
American Vision Home School Online Store
Biblical Worldview Magazine
Citizen Magazine - published by Focus on the Family
Civilized Revolt (Formerly Virtue Magazine)
FreeBooks - from the Institute for Christian Economics
Generations - Radio Program
Home School Heartbeat (Radio program)
LifeWay Homeschool, Southern Baptist Convention - affiliated with HSLDF & NHERI
WorldView Magazine

 

[Sky Dancer]

Charismatic Dominionists have the international broadcasts capacity, international network, conferencing and educational structures, developing business networks through their "Marketplace Apostles," and most importantly, many millions of devoted adherents.

Few outside the movement are taking them seriously. In Dominion! C. Peter Wagner makes a projection that the neo-Apostolics of this movement will rise 50 percent of non-Catholic Christianity by 2025. In a section titled "How Big is the Movement" Wagner quotes David Barrett of World Christian Trends. Wagner stated that by 1996 Barrett had documented 1000 apostolic networks on his database and "that he would estimate at that point considerably more than 100 million new apostolic adherents worldwide."

Growth Statistics

The 2001 edition of World Christian Trends tracks the growth of these three combined waves of Dominionist providing an estimate of 72 million adherents worldwide in 1970, and growth to over 500 million in the year 2000. .

Yet this massive movement with its rapidly evolving theology, has received very little notice from the mainstream press, the academic world, or even many researchers and writers who monitor the Religious Right.
| The Rise of Charismatic Dominionism